DIY snow engine. How to make a snow shovel from scrap materials for manual and automatic cleaning

This simple tool becomes an indispensable assistant for a person. After a snowfall, without a good shovel, it’s not easy to get to the porch of the house, drive into the garage or get into the barn.

Some might say that snow removal equipment hasn't changed since his grandfather went to school. In fact, the tools for dealing with snowdrifts have been continuously improved, making our work easier.

Today we will look at various options shovels for snow removal and get acquainted with their features. We will give recommendations for choosing, indicate approximate prices and let you know useful tips for do-it-yourselfers.

Types of shovels for snow removal

The classic design of a snow shovel is familiar to everyone. This is a long handle-handle on which a wide bucket is attached.

Classic wooden shovel

Until recently, two materials were used to make ladles and handles: wood and metal (steel and aluminum).

Today they have been supplemented by composite plastic, resistant to frost and mechanical stress.

Anyone who has worked with a plastic shovel probably appreciated its main advantage - light weight. It does not get wet from snow like wood and does not rust like steel. There are doubts about the durability of plastic, but it is usually enough for 4-5 cleaning seasons.

A compact snow shovel is called a car snow shovel. Drivers use it to clear parking lots and enter garages. For ease of transportation in the trunk, such tools are made folding, dismountable, or placed on telescopic handles.

Folding car shovel

A shovel with a telescopic handle is convenient to transport and can be easily adjusted to a person’s height

The second popular type of snow removal tool is a scraper or drag (motor). It differs from its relative in its wide arched handle and impressive width of the bucket.

The element of this design is light and loose snow. You cannot use a snow scraper on compacted and frozen crust. Here you have to use a regular shovel according to the principle “slowly but surely.”

In search of a compromise, designers developed a hybrid of a snow shovel and scraper. It is equally suitable for throwing snow and moving it.

Combined shovel-scraper

Moving on to mechanized models, let's consider a snow blower with an auger. Its advantage over the “old-fashioned” tool is ease of use. No strain on the lower back. You push the bucket in front of you, and the auger rotates and throws the snow to the side.

Unfortunately, this mechanism can only work confidently with a thin layer of loose snow (up to 15 cm). A thicker layer stops the auger.

In the category of super-shovels for snow removal, you can include a device called a manual bulldozer. This is a four-wheel dolly with a blade. The large working width and the ability to work at full height make the mobile shovel an indispensable assistant when cleaning large areas.

The power of a manual bulldozer is 1 human power!

The angle of rotation of the blade here is adjustable, allowing you to work with both light and loose snow and fairly heavy snow.

A simplified version of a snow shovel on wheels is a two-wheeled model. It is less productive, but very convenient to use. The wheel axle allows you to raise the blade during operation, avoiding impacts on uneven road surfaces.

Among the unusual design solutions one can note a single-wheeled shovel. It is not yet available in our stores. It was invented in the West and dubbed the “snow wolf.” The externally awkward design, according to reviews from the owners, is very maneuverable and easy to use.

Single-wheel shovel with swinging handle

The essence of the idea is to use a large wheel, on the axis of which a handle is hinged. On one side it ends with bicycle “horns”, and on the other it is connected to a plastic bucket. Scooping up snow, its owner moves around the site. Approaching the storage area, he sharply lowers the handles. The bucket rises and throws the collected snow forward. In this case, there is no need to constantly bend over, tiring your back muscles.

The next level of design “pumping” is an electric snow shovel.

The principle of its operation is simple: an electric motor rotates a rubber auger, which throws the snow to the side. This mechanism is good when you need to remove thin snow cover. It is not suitable for dealing with snowdrifts and ice.

Despite the durability and strength of metal, today plastic shovels are becoming the leaders in demand. As we have already said, they are lighter than steel and wood. This fact is of paramount importance when cleaning a large area.

When choosing a plastic shovel, you should pay attention to the depth of the bucket and the presence of a protective lining on its working edge. A spacious bucket speeds up the cleaning process, and a protective edging protects the plastic from wear.

The quality of the plastic is checked very simply: the tool is placed at an angle on the floor and the handle is pressed firmly on it. If the bucket is elastically deformed without cracking, then the product will not break due to frequent contact with compacted snow.

The D-shaped handle increases ease of use. It increases the force of the throw and prevents the hand from slipping off the handle. The presence of longitudinal ribs on the bucket is another plus in favor of the purchase. They increase rigidity and improve tool sliding.

The following should be said about the material. A wooden shovel with a plywood bucket is inferior to a plastic one. Wet snow quickly sticks to it, increasing the weight of the instrument. Contact with moisture causes the plywood to swell and become deformed.

Aluminum shovels occupy a middle position between wooden and plastic ones. They are light, strong and durable, but very expensive.

Steel buckets are the most reliable, but also the heaviest. With such equipment you can work on dense snow and knock down thin ice.

Having decided on the material, you should pay attention to the length of the handle (handle). It should not be too short so that you do not have to work while bending low.

You need to buy a scraper for snow removal that is as light as possible, so that you are less tired when cleaning a large area. It should be equipped with wheels or “skis” - two protruding bars on the bottom of the bucket. They reduce friction on the snow, making it easier to move the tool.

Approximate prices

The simplest plywood shovel can be purchased at a price of 150 rubles.

The cost of a snow removal tool with a steel bucket and a wooden handle starts at 300 rubles per piece.

Prices for simple aluminum shovels range from 600 to 700 rubles.

Sellers offer a plastic Fiskars shovel with an ergonomic handle, plastic, wooden or aluminum handle for a price starting from 900 rubles. More advanced models with a wide bucket (scrapers) reach a price of 2 thousand rubles.

Bestseller FISKARS 142610, price from 900 rubles for 2016-2017

The cost of a simple snow scraper with a plastic bucket ranges from 750 to 2000 rubles.

The Forte mechanized snow blower, equipped with a steel auger, is sold in the retail network at a price of 900-1000 rubles. For an electrified rotary tool you will have to pay at least 6,000 rubles.

Budget mechanical snow blower Forte QI-JY-50

A two-wheeled scraper with a steel bucket can be purchased at a price of 4,000 rubles. Four-wheeled models of manual scrapers are sold at prices starting from 6,500 rubles.

DIY snow shovel

There is nothing complicated in the design of a snow shovel. Therefore, you can do it yourself at home.

Let's look at the two most popular options among DIYers:

plywood shovel;
scraper (engine) on wheels.

Having prepared all the materials necessary for the work, you can make a snow shovel with your own hands from plywood within 1 hour.

The set of parts for assembly includes:

A wooden strip with a cross-section of 30x40 mm (length 1.5 meters) for making a handle.
Plywood sheet 5 mm thick and 40x40 cm in size.
Trim pine boards 3 cm thick and 40 cm long.
A strip of galvanized steel 5-6 cm wide.
Wood screws 3 cm long for attaching the handle to the plywood.
Nails 15-20 mm long.

The tools you will need are an electric plane, a hacksaw, metal scissors, pliers, a chisel, a hammer and a screwdriver.

The first operation is to make the back wall of the bucket from scrap boards. To do this, draw an arc on the workpiece with a pencil. Its height in the center is 10 cm, and at the edges 5 cm.

Having planed the intended outline with a plane, take a hacksaw and make two cuts in the center of the board according to the size of the future cutting. Cutting down with a chisel rectangular hole to pass the handle.

The edge of the cutting is marked with a pencil and cut with a hacksaw so that it fits tightly to the plywood sheet.

A sheet of plywood is placed on the wall of the bucket and secured with nails.

The steel strip is cut to the size of the bucket, its edge is bent and screwed to the bottom. Pieces of steel strip are used to strengthen the place where the handle is attached to the sheet of plywood and the area where it passes through the back wall of the bucket.

To strengthen the working edge, bend the strip in half, put it on plywood and bend the edges of the metal. To prevent the strip from jumping off the bucket during operation, it is secured at the edges with short screws or rivets.

Now let’s look at making the second design option - a homemade snow shovel on two wheels.

On the Internet you can find a solution based on a frame with handles from an old stroller. We think it's too flimsy for a normal scraper. Therefore, we suggest using a 20x40 mm profile pipe to make the frame. For our homemade product we will need a little, only 1.5 meters.

There will be no square frame in our version. It will be replaced by a central tubular pillar. A handle is welded to its upper part - a piece of water pipe with a diameter of 20 mm.

Before assembly begins, you will need to purchase two 8-inch diameter cart wheels. The blade is made of sheet steel with a thickness of 0.8-1.0 mm. Having drilled holes in two steel flange plates to allow the shaft to pass through, they are welded to profile pipe, performing the function of a cutting.

After this, a short piece of 20x40 mm pipe is welded to the inclined post to attach the rotating plate with the blade. Three holes are drilled in the plate and in the pipe on which it will lie: one for the mounting bolt and two for installing the locking rod that secures the blade.

Any steel tube or fittings of suitable diameter can be used as an axle for the wheels. Having passed the axle through the holes in the flanges, you need to weld locking rings to it, protecting the wheels from moving.

Despite all the talk about global warming, winters in most regions of our country continue to be harsh, so it is not uncommon for heavy snowfall to impede the movement of vehicles and even the movement of passers-by through courtyards and streets. This issue is especially relevant for owners of cottages or country houses, since they have to rely only on own strength. Of course, you can buy a mini snowplow, but not everyone can afford it. In addition, sometimes its use is difficult and even impossible, which is why the snow scraper continues to be a popular tool.

How to choose

Today, you can find a variety of scrapers in stores for cleaning sidewalks, yards, and steps. They are mechanical and manual. If you are not ready to spend a lot of money, you will have to purchase a manual scraper. It is often called English manner pusher or scraper, emphasizing the main purpose of this product - to push and scrape. Regardless of we're talking about about a store-bought product or deciding how to make a snow scraper with your own hands, it should be:

light;
durable;
having a comfortable non-slip handle made of material with poor thermal conductivity, which will prevent the hands of the person doing the cleaning from freezing.

From the above, it is clear that when choosing a snow scraper, it is better to pay attention to options made of plastic or aluminum, as they are durable and at the same time lightweight. In this case, the person doing the cleaning will be less tired, and the likelihood that the device will break will be reduced to zero. In addition, it is desirable that the handle be covered with rubber to prevent the hands from slipping, and that the height of the tool corresponds to the height of the person who will use it, since working in a hunched position is not particularly convenient.

DIY snow scraper (shovel type)

Everything that has been said regarding the choice of such devices in the store also applies to homemade tools for cleaning the yard or sidewalks. The easiest way to make a hand scraper is one that resembles a shovel. To make it, you can use a regular aluminum sheet measuring 40-50 cm, bent along the top edge so as to form a side 4-5 cm high. You can also bend the side sides, and make the handle in the form of a frame, like a garden wheelbarrow.

Video on the topic

Wood scraper

To make a snow scraper with your own hands with sides made of pine boards measuring 210x23x2.5 cm, you will also need a strip of the same material with a length of 280, a width of 8, and a thickness of 2.5 cm. You will also need to use a sheet of galvanized iron measuring 73 by 70 cm.

Instead of a lath, the round handle of an old shovel will also work as a handle for a scraper. Moreover, the width and length of the scraper can be taken different from those indicated, taking into account the fact that the device must pass freely through the gate.

The bottom of the scraper is made of an iron sheet, to which sides cut from a board are attached with screws or self-tapping screws. Such a tool can also be useful in the spring, since by adding wheels from a baby stroller to it and strengthening the bottom wooden slats, you can turn it into a light wheelbarrow for removing sawdust and garbage. In this case, the wheel axle must be placed between 2 boards and secured on both sides with metal plates.

Scraper on wheels

Rolling is always easier than dragging. Having guessed this, our distant ancestors came up with wheels. They can also be used to facilitate the process of removing snow using a manual scraper. To manufacture such a modernized device, you will need a plastic or aluminum pipe with a diameter of 27 cm, from which you need to cut a sector with a side length 2-3 cm less than the cross-sectional circumference. The result will be a part that will be used as a blade. As for the frame, an old baby stroller will come in handy to create it, which can probably be found in any home with preschoolers or schoolchildren. You will also need to get old ones water pipes. Next you need to perform the following operations:

create slots in the pipes on one side for the wheel axle, and on the other, weld them to the blade;
make ears from metal corners for fastening racks;
make 3 holes in the upper part of the racks so that you can control the height of the handle;
if you intend to use such a homemade scraper to remove snow on asphalt, then you can attach a conveyor protective tape to the lower edge of the blade;
paint the scraper to protect the metal from corrosion and give the tool a finished, presentable look.

This product will be an excellent helper, as it is convenient to use and does not scratch the road surface. In addition, it can be adjusted in height to suit the user.

Homemade snow scraper on skids: what you need

Wheels are not the only way to make the scraper easier to move. It will move easily if you install the blade on the runners.

To make such a useful device you will need:

metal, preferably aluminum sheet measuring 800 by 1500 mm;
thin pipe for the handle;
two pieces of metal corner, each 1 m long, which will act as runners.

How to make a scraper on skids

To make a scraper that glides freely through the snow, you need:

bend the ends of the metal knots;
attach a handle to them at a distance of 25-35 mm from the front end of the runners;
stepping 2 mm forward from the posts, install 2 pins;
secure the scraper;
install the top of the blade using clamps to help control the height of the device.

If the snow scraper, the photo of the diagram of which is presented below, is intended for a summer residence and may need to be transported by car, then the scraper can be made folding.

Motorized option

Cleaning the yard and street in winter can be made easier if you make your own snow scraper using a walk-behind tractor. To do this, you don’t have to make any special efforts, since it’s enough to attach a snow removal blade made, for example, from a curved stainless steel sheet to the bumper.

Making a manual snow scraper

You can also use a ready-made blade. You can also install a snow blade on your bike by attaching it below the handlebars.

Plywood shovel scraper

If a scraper is needed urgently and is intended to be used only for one season, then such a tool can be made in a couple of hours. To quickly make a snow scraper with your own hands, you will need a sheet of thick plywood measuring 50 by 50 cm, the surface of which should be treated with moisture-repellent impregnation, and the edge - epoxy resin. It should be lined with aluminum on both sides to ensure ease of sliding. As for the handle, it needs to be made somewhat shorter than that of conventional shovels, and the edge that was supposed to be attached to the scraper needs to be cut at an angle of 45 degrees. To make the scraper reliable, you need to drill 6 mm holes in two places and install bolts and nuts. Next, the cutting should be secured using a wooden plank so as to increase the angle of attachment.

Now you know several ways to make a snow scraper and you can face the winter fully armed.

Comments

Similar materials

Home comfort
DIY musical instruments: how and what to make from. Children's musical instruments with your own hands

Today, many are interested in how to make musical instruments with their own hands. Of course, making a violin or piano without special education, materials, home appliances unprepared for this type of work...

Home and family
How and from what to make a vibrator at home

The time when goods offered by sex shops were considered something shameful and obscene is long gone.

Hobby
DIY apple costume: how and what to make it from

Are you getting ready for the New Year's party? Looking for ideas for creating masquerade outfits? Making your own apple costume is easy. Use various materials: both fabric and paper. If time permits, you can make...

Home comfort
How and from what you can make a flower pot with your own hands

The article will tell you how you can make a flower pot with your own hands so that it matches the overall design solution dwellings. In addition, the reader will learn how to make a flowerpot from improvised materials without spending money...

Home comfort
Hoods for barbecues and grills. How to make a barbecue hood with your own hands? Do-it-yourself barbecue hood in a metal gazebo: drawing

Many people are interested in how to make a barbecue hood with their own hands. Before you start making the device, experts advise deciding what type of oven you will use. For each type of su…

Home comfort
How to make a toy box with your own hands: master class and recommendations. DIY toy box from a box

As a rule, we buy a lot of different toys for our children (dolls, cars, soft toys, educational toys, and so on). As a result, they are all scattered in different corners of the apartment. To prevent this from happening, we invite you to find out...

Home comfort
How and from what is artificial snow made?

Artificial snow is perhaps the most indispensable thing on ski resorts located in southern parts earth's hemisphere. Thanks to the presence of special devices that produce such snow, it is possible to make…

Food and drink
How and what is ice cream made from? How to make homemade ice cream?

In any country, ice cream is one of the most popular desserts. Almost all children adore it and many adults eat it with pleasure. What causes this love and what do people find so attractive in...

Business
Quail food: composition, quantity, recipe and price. How to make food for quails with your own hands?

For many, owning a personal garden has become a symbol of owning vegetables and fruits, which allow you to diversify your table with fresh and environmentally friendly products. Some raise chickens, geese and ducks, so...

Home and family
How to make toys for a parrot with your own hands: a review of ideas, master classes and recommendations

Anyone who has a parrot knows firsthand how restless and inquisitive these colorful birds are. That is why it is very important to come up with as many ideas as possible for them. interesting activities. If you don't do this, oh...

DIY snow scraper

1. DIY snow scraper

1.1. Wooden snow scraper
1.2. Metal snow scraper

Today, buying a snow scraper is not a problem, just like choosing a good snow blower.

Clearing the area from snow: a comparative review of snow removal equipment

However, for those people who like to make things with their own hands, making a snow scraper will not be difficult.

To make a simple, but at the same time reliable scraper, you will need a minimum of plumbing tools and the most common materials that can always be found in the garage.

So, this article will be devoted to how to make a snow scraper with your own hands.

DIY snow scraper

Today there are plenty of options on how to make a snow scraper. For these purposes, you can use both wood and sheet metal. If there is a piece of unnecessary metal pipe of large diameter, then, as it turns out, it can be used to make a scraper.

Wooden snow scraper

Making a snow scraper from wood is as easy as shelling pears. To do this you will need a piece of chipboard or other durable plywood. The dimensions of the future snow scraper should not be made too large, otherwise, removing wet, sticky snow can become a nightmare.

It is important to cover one edge of the scraper, the one that will be working, with a piece of tin so that the sliding of the scraper on the snow does not cause obstacles during operation. Pens homemade scraper can be made from bars, attaching them with screws to the work surface.
To prevent the handles of the snow scraper from becoming loose during operation, it is important to reinforce them with slope bars made from a piece of not too thick board. This completes the process of making a homemade snow scraper.

Metal snow scraper

To make a snow scraper from a bush sheet metal, will be required welding inverter and the ability to work with it. Of course, you can assemble a snow scraper on threaded connection using long bolts with nuts and wide washers.

But it is better to assemble the snow scraper by welding, since in this case it will be as strong and stable as possible during operation. In general, making a metal snow scraper is no different from assembling a wooden scraper.

There is another option for making a snow scraper from a piece of large diameter metal pipe. To do this, the pipe must be cut lengthwise into two parts. One of the parts that will be used is secured with clamps on a two-wheeled wheelbarrow, as in the pictures above.

If there is no piece of pipe, then the scraper can be made from a sheet of thick tin, having first bent it into a semicircular shape. In this case, the scraper should be attached to the wheelbarrow using long bolts, having previously drilled through holes in the car body.

Even though in the world global warming, in most parts of our country, winters remain very harsh and snowy.

It is the latter factor that constantly impedes not only the movement of motor vehicles, but even ordinary pedestrians. In many ways, this issue is more relevant for citizens who have country houses or dachas, because there they have to clear the snow themselves, and not rely on public utilities.

Of course, some can afford to buy special snow removal machines small in size, but most people can’t afford it. This is why a snow scraper has been and continues to be a very necessary tool.

Selection criteria

Modern options for snow scrapers can be very diverse. For example, there are manual options and there are mechanical ones. Moreover, the former are much cheaper.

However, all dump models share certain properties:

ease;
strength;
They have a high quality handle.

The latter should not slip in the hand and have poor thermal conductivity, which is justified by the need to keep the hands of the person using it warm.

It follows from this that the choice of the required scraper option for clearing snow should be based on the specified properties.

Expert advice: It is best if the device is made by hand from aluminum.

This is necessary to ensure that the device is lightweight, but at the same time durable. Due to this, the one who will use the scraper will be less tired, and the chance that the device will break is minimal.

Please note: In terms of characteristics, purchased scraper devices are not much superior to those models that you can make yourself. Therefore, to clean your yard or sidewalk, it is recommended to make your own scraper.

Shovel shaped

The easiest way is to make an option that looks like a large shovel.

For manufacturing you will need an aluminum sheet whose size will be approximately 30 by 50 cm.

At the same time, it should have a bent side at the top so that it forms a side about 5 cm high.

In addition, for greater functionality, the side sides can be bent in the same way, and the handle can be made from a regular shovel handle.

Wood scraper

To create scrapers with sides made of pine boards, it is necessary to prepare a rail from the same material.

Everyone makes the dimensions of the latter more convenient for themselves. You also need to take a sheet of galvanized iron so that its dimensions are 73 by 70 cm.

This version of the scraper is very simple to make. The sides made from boards need to be attached to the sheet of iron with screws (you can even use self-tapping screws). After this, the rail itself is attached, which will act as a handle.

Experts recommend: You can use a regular shovel handle instead of a slate. In this case, it is desirable that the length and width of the device allow it to be moved freely through doorways and gates in a country house.

Scraper on wheels

Naturally, it is better to use models on wheels. Using a scraper makes snow removal very easy.

To create this version of the device, it is necessary to prepare an aluminum pipe whose diameter is 27 cm.

After this, you need to cut out a sector from it, the size of which will be several centimeters smaller than the semicircle.

The resulting part is used as the blade itself.

The frame can be used from an old baby stroller. You will also need iron water pipes (you can use old ones).

first, the cuts necessary to accommodate the wheel axle are made on the pipe, after which it must be welded directly to the blade on the opposite side;
applying metal corners, it is necessary to make fasteners for the racks;

Please note: When using the device on a concrete or asphalt surface, it is recommended to attach a protective tape to the bottom of the blade. In this case, such a device will not clear the surface of ice.

To protect the metal from possible corrosion, it must be painted.

The result will be a very convenient and functional device, which will not scratch the road surface when used.

In more advanced models, you can install a slider on the wheels to make the snow pusher even more convenient to use.

Watch the video in which the master clearly shows how to make a simple and reliable snow scraper yourself:

During the cold season, it often happens that all the roads are covered with snow; it needs to be removed for comfortable movement. Cleaning snow is not the easiest task, it often gets tiring, but it is worth doing it regularly to avoid the appearance of large snowdrifts. But if you build a scraper, then removing snow becomes easier. Today we will look at how to build such equipment on...

First you need to purchase a pipe, the diameter of which should be about two hundred and seventy millimeters; it will serve as a blade for cleaning.

Next, we find old metal pipes that will serve as a support. Wheels and a blade should be attached to the pipes.
To make the equipment as convenient as possible, care should be taken to adjust the height of the handles.

We mount a little transport tape to the bottom of the blade.

This equipment is quite easy to use, and you don’t need a lot of materials to create it.

Types of scrapers

One of the most popular types of scraper is brush scraper. A brush is often made from bristles. Such equipment should not be particularly heavy, since with a lot of weight it is much harder to work with it.

The plastic scraper is superior to the previous version due to its light weight and ease of use. Also, snow does not stick to it. Since it will be light, it can be made very wide to cover most of the territory.

How to make a metal scraper

1. First you need metal sheet, its size should be one hundred and fifty centimeters in height and eighty centimeters in width. Also metal pipe up to three meters long, which will serve as a handle, and two corners one meter long for runners.

3. We secure the upper part of the scraper with clamps, which will help in adjusting the required height.

Useful video: Do-it-yourself manual scraper

Equipment for cleaning snow can be create it in such a way that it can then be compactly folded in case it needs to be transported, or so that it does not take up much space. With its help, it is very easy to remove snow, and it is also easy to do it yourself.